Ice Cream and Sake
by IceQueenRex
Summary: A bored Sasuke stumbles across Hinata at a restaurant eating ice cream after breaking up with Naruto. Who else to offer some words of comfort? Most definitely not him!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Right, just a little bit of candy goodness about Sasuke and Hinata when he meets her at a restaurant during one of his nightly prowls only to find her having just broken up with Naruto. Who else to offer her solace? Definitely not him! Hope you guys like! :D

Ice Cream and Sake

Sasuke hated nights like these when he had nothing to do which therefore resulted in him walking aimlessly around Konoha. The newly recruited jounin was always ready for a mission, any mission that involved fights, killing and a lot of blood just for kicks. No, he was hardly a sadist but his thirst for adventure often got the better of him.

Of course he had a different sort of thirst as he walked into a nearly empty restaurant and scanned the room. It was dimly lit with paper lanterns at each table, giving it a rather homey glow. Grimacing at the long night ahead, he thought to himself how he could really do with some sake.

He was about to make his way over to a table in the corner when someone caught his eye. He frowned in recognition at the eldest Hyuuga daughter who, upon seeing him, lowered her gaze shyly and spooned something into her mouth.

With a lazy shrug, he made his way over to her table and sat opposite her, languidly relaxing into the seat. He didn't know what compelled him to sit with her, he was hardly the sentimental type, but considering she was a former classmate and fellow nin on many missions before, he labeled her somewhat of an acquaintance. He called for a sake which arrived a few moments later.

Hinata, as he remembered her name, looked up from the carton she was eating from and offered him a small smile. "G-Good evening, Uchiha-k-kun."

The first thing he noticed were that her eyes were rimmed red and her nose and cheeks also flushed with the same colour. Raising a brow, he commented dryly,

"Normally when you're sick, you don't eat cold things." He motioned to the ice cream in front of her; a rather big pint of chocolate flavoured ice cream from what he could tell.

At that, he knew he'd said something wrong as her lip started to tremble and a heavy blush came to her cheeks. Lowering her pearl like gaze, she mumbled something under her breath about not being sick.

Ah, so she'd been crying. Perfect; the one night he looks for something exciting and he gets stuck with a depressed girl. Just perfect.

Out of courtesy – courtesy he really didn't feel at the moment – he asked in boredom, "Why have you been crying?"

Again, the girl flinched and held the spoon to her lips, biting on the tip. "N-Naruto-kun…" she mumbled, not meeting his gaze.

Sasuke frowned but then realization dawned on him. She had been dating Naruto for a few months now. How could he forget? Especially since his dobe of a friend had gone on and on and on about her. He would have smirked had his decorum allowed but settled on a small, "Hn, I see," instead. Now this was interesting. To hell with missions, the gossip side of him was beginning to emerge. "And when did you two…?" The carefully asked question hung in the air and he watched her expression change from sad to utter despair.

"A week ago," she squeaked before spooning another large dollop of ice cream into her mouth.

Girls and their overtly sensitive selves. Well, it was no wonder Naruto himself had been a little down lately. He actually hadn't seen him around very much. When he had asked Sakura where he was when a group of them had been at a bar, the kunoichi had shook her head and told him that he'd come out in his own time. Naturally, the emotionally stunted boy hadn't any idea what she was on about and passed her off as being a philosophical drunk.

Now he understood. Looking at her ice cream, he cocked his head to one side and stated thoughtfully, "I hear that ice cream is supposed to be good during a break-up. Does it really help?"

She blinked at him, wide eyed, the spoon hanging in the air. After a few moments, she actually broke into a shy smile and giggled.

Mildly amused, he looked at her passively and quirked a questioning brow. At this, she answered truthfully, "A-ano, I was just t-trying to test out that theory m-my-myself."

The Uchiha was momentarily caught off guard by the small smile on her lips, the tinge of pink to her cheeks and the shy way she held the spoon to her lips. Blinking a few times, he managed to dismiss the surprise and nod calmly.

"So? Does it work?" he asked expectantly.

Hinata shook her head slowly and deflated. "N-no. I suppose i-it d-doesn't."

He grunted shortly and sipped his sake, savouring the burn. After a moment or two, he said suddenly, "I believe that sake may be a better remedy than ice cream."

She stared at him innocently and in his mind he almost chuckled at her expression. "Helps you forget for a little while at least."

Nodding slowly, the girl spooned herself more ice cream and then looked up abruptly. "G-gomen, how r-rude o-of me. W-would you…like…s-some?" Blushing profusely, she pushed the half empty carton towards him.

"I don't like sweet things," he told her truthfully but upon seeing the dejection on her face, resisted the urge to roll his eyes and took the spoon from her and took a large spoonful.

"Wait! That's…!"

Big mistake.

"…too much…"

Dropping the spoon into the carton, he groaned and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose at the immense brain freeze that was working its way up his forehead, behind his eyes and down his throat Yeah, he definitely still didn't like sweets.

Biting her thumb, the girl reached over and gently pulled his hand off his face, much to his protests, and lifted his sake cup to his lips. He gratefully accepted the drink as it burned its way down his throat and eased some of the pain and cold. Releasing a frustrated grown, he opened his eyes and was met with a pair of pale, amused yet sympathetic orbs.

'_How the hell could that dobe dump her?' _His eyes went wide at the thought and he shook his head, pulling back from her touch and muttering a short, "Thanks."

Smiling softly, the girl put the cup down and leaned back into her chair, allowing herself another spoonful of ice cream. "You'll feel better in a few moments."

'_Hn. She didn't stutter. Interesting.'_

He took the time to look over her, the girl who Naruto had dated and then dumped. Well, she wasn't anything special, he'd seen tons more aesthetically pleasing than her. Hm, what else? She was…cute in a way he supposed, from her chin length dark hair, small face and absolutely tiny stature. She didn't look that strong but taking into account that she did manage to deal with the idiot blond for a few months, he guessed she didn't do too badly.

But what he did know about her was that she was extremely compassionate, as previously proved by her earlier actions with the sake. Apparently being the outcast of the Head Family gave her much more room for sympathy; things a shinobi shouldn't have. Yet…she still managed and survived this far. Very interesting indeed.

He actually felt sorry for her, especially because at times he had seen her staring at Naruto when they were still studying. She obviously had it big for him, over what he didn't know. And to be discarded like that must have been painful. But what made him frown wasn't the fact that she had actually been crying over his friend, but more the way that she seemed to be handling it a lot better than most girls would.

He remembered when Sakura had been dumped by Lee of all people and how she'd been depressed for weeks and didn't eat or talk to anyone except for Ino. He remembered actually laughing to himself at Sakura's pining over Lee, when he was by himself in his room. It was just utterly hilarious. Fancy that; Sakura getting dumped by Lee! Their relationship had made him see the Taijutsu expert in a new light; an _absolute_ idiot instead of just an idiot.

Looking up at her casually, he pulled another empty cup from the corner of the table and poured her a bit of the sake from the small jug. Pushing it in front of her, Sasuke deadpanned,

"Drink it."

Lavender eyes widened. "Wh-what? B-but I couldn't…" she trailed off, looking timidly at the cup in front of her.

She wasn't getting out of this that easily. "I had your ice cream, you drink my sake."

The Hyuuga tried to protest but nothing came out of her mouth and so she sat back, resigned and nodded reluctantly, curling her small digits around the cup and bringing it to her lips. Cringing, she pulled the cup away and grimaced at the flavour, putting the hardly touched cup down and looking up at him with incredulity. Her expression seemed to ask "how can you drink that?" and he almost chuckled, his eyes glittering with slight amusement.

He was finding her more and more amusing. Her reactions didn't cease to amaze him. She was like a child stuck in a woman's body. "Consider that payback."

That actually cracked a smile from her as well as that ever-present blush and she turned away from him shyly, trying to hide her face.

'_Cute…ah crap!'_

Smacking himself mentally, he down the rest of his cup and poured himself some more. Maybe sitting with her wasn't a good idea, especially if sake and ice cream were in the mix. He was hardly attracted to her; he was an Uchiha after all and they had pretty high standards, but she was being just so damn endearing and welcoming that it was hard to ignore her unintentional "come hither" gazes.

Cursing mentally, he reminded himself of how angry Naruto would be if he found out he was spending time with his ex. He'd blow his top off and that damn fox would probably try to kill him. Well, it's not like he had any right to be jealous after dumping her, he though with annoyance and conviction.

Then again, annoying his friend could prove to be very fun indeed. He praised himself at his ability to self-serve. Maybe boredom wasn't in the cards for his future.

"I d-don't suppose…you…w-want m-m-more?" she asked coyly, showing him the carton. With a short sigh, and a very small quirk of the lips, he declined politely.

"No thank you, but I do expect you to finish your sake," he added slyly, raising a dark brow at her.

Shrinking away from him, the girl shook her head. "I-I'd rather not…"

He wanted to laugh but spoke smoothly. "Try downing it all at once. Makes the experience much more tolerable."

"B-but I…" Sighing in resignation, she took her full cup in one hand and pinched her nose with the other, squeezing her eyes shut as she lifted it to her lips and gulped it down at once, wincing at the taste and dropping the cup onto the table with a clatter.

She was all red in the face now and it only had slightly to do with her blushing. This was priceless indeed. Unable to contain it, Sasuke let slip a short chuckle and reached over and patted her on the head. "Impressive for a Hyuuga girl."

When she looked at him, her eyes red, he immediately regretted allowing her to drink. "I-I don't feel…s-s-so…" He closed his eyes and shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips. _'Lightweight. I suppose this is my cue to take her home.'_

Standing up, he dropped a few coins onto the table and took her arm, pulling her up with him. "I'll take you home."

He frowned when she fell back into her seat and when he looked at her, had to grit his teeth. It was one thing to deal with a depressed woman, but with a crying woman he had no idea how to act. Crap.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffed twice before allowing quiet sobs to take over her. Resisting the urge to sigh in frustration, he sat back down again and patted her head awkwardly which she had lowered to the table.

"I think I need some ice cream," he muttered, taking the carton and spooning some into his mouth – less this time.

'_Hm, I wonder what other sort of flavours they have…I think I'd like to try strawberry. That's always a good flavour…'_

Hinata continued to sob and he continued to eat, also pouring himself more sake absent mindedly.

'_Chocolate isn't too bad I suppose but it's too sweet. I wonder what tomato ice cream would taste like…I don't think there's such thing though…Hm…sake ice cream? That wouldn't be too bad.'_

Dark eyes travelled momentarily to her as her sobs increased in volume and without thinking, he lazily uncurled her fingers and placed a tissue into them before continuing to eat her – now his – ice cream.

'_I believe there is such thing as sake ice cream. I think it was Chouji who brought some to Ino's birthday party last time. Though I don't think I ate it…no, I wouldn't have.'_

"Do you need another tissue?" he asked casually, looking at the wall. The girl didn't seem to mind his lack of interest and compassion to her situation and besides, even if she did mind, it wasn't like he cared enough to try and make her feel better. In his opinion, she and Naruto didn't go well together anyway. Naruto and Sakura seemed much more likely however they were both too oblivious to figure anything out. Upon thinking this, he cringed, cursing at how boredom was having a terrible affect on him. It made him think a little too much.

She cried harder and lifted her head, shaking it and wiping her tears away, sniffling all the while. Watching her blandly as she regained composure he finally realized that he'd finished her ice cream. Whoops.

"Are you done?" he asked distractedly.

She hesitated and frowned. "I-I think so."

He snorted. "So, what was that about?"

Strangely enough, a small smile came to her lips. "I'm…not entirely sure. But…I…f-feel better now."

'_Wow, maybe ice cream really does work. With sake of course! I should tell that to Sakura next time…on second thought, I think she's more amusing when she's depressed,' _he mused wickedly before turning to the dark haired girl. "Let's go."

He was about to stand but a small hand was placed on his and he was forced to pause and look to the owner of said hand. Hinata looked at him with her lips parted, as if she was struggling to try and say something. He waited for a few seconds before slipping his hand away and folding his arms expectantly.

"A-ano, c-can w-we stay?"

'_No,' _he wanted to say but rolled his eyes and nodded, sitting down for the third time. "Fine. But you're buying me more sake."

She seemed stunned by his lack of chivalry but her lips twitched and it appeared she was finding it very hard to keep her laughter in check as she nodded silently. "Of course." He ordered another jug of sake, ignored the waitress who gave him a once over and continued to stare blankly at the Hyuuga who appeared uncomfortable under his intense gaze. She fidgeted and then paused blinkingly at her empty carton of ice cream.

"Y-you finished it."

"And?" he was challenging her and her lips twitched in amusement.

"Nothing. I just…thought you didn't like…sweet things?"

His dry demeanour didn't betray the cunning grin he felt. "I suppose then that it doesn't include ice cream or _you._"

Lavender eyes widened at that and the flush on her cheeks deepened five shades. "M-me?" she squeaked. Oh indeed it was fun to play with her like this.

He snorted and feigned ignorance. "Of course; you and your bubblegum innocence. There's no other word to describe it other than 'sweet.'"

Hinata nodded with a frown, trying to understand though it clearly stated from her expression that she didn't at all. "R-right…uh…"

The quiet grunt he sent her made her stop and stare. "Relax; I was only teasing."

Her expression softened then and a small nervous smile crept onto her lips. "Oh, I-I see."

He sipped his warm sake and stared at the wall. "No, I don't think you do but it doesn't matter, I suppose."

By this point, both shinobi realized that Sasuke wasn't exactly here to offer her words of comfort or compassion, let alone make her feel better about Naruto but oddly enough, Hinata didn't seem to mind for she smiled warmly at the stoic Uchiha, her cheeks red as she held onto a warm cup of tea and looked down at it.

"Thank you," she whispered and he looked at her.

"Hm?"

Quickly shaking her head, she said, slightly flustered, "Nothing."

Letting it go, he downed more sake, this time not offering her any. He'd rather that he take her home sober, lest any Byakugan eyes catch them on their journey back and decide to castrate him for tainting their heiress. That didn't particularly seem very pleasant. Yes indeed; tea was a much better alternative for her though he couldn't quite remember when she had ordered it. Hn, maybe he drank just a little too much. Or perhaps sake and ice cream didn't mix well once consumed.

Ah crap.

Sugar and alcohol. Not good.

Speaking of which, did the lights in here dim? Because Sasuke could swear the shadows on the wall grew darker. Blinking, and not at all bothering to activate his Sharingan, he turned to Hinata and told her in a rather matter-of-factly manner, "I don't think I should drink anymore."

Caught off guard by his sudden change, Hinata finally seemed to understand and nodded gently, pushing her hot tea towards him. "It'll help; it's jasmine."

"Is that so?" he asked, hardly interested as his strong fingers circled the cup and the boy downed it very much in the same manner he'd been drinking his sake.

"Wait, that's very-!"

Another big mistake.

His tongue burned.

"…very hot," she concluded weakly, calling the waitress for some iced water as the boy dropped the cup and fanned his mouth with his hand.

'_Crapshitdamnitdobebloodyteaandicecreamsake!'_

Taking the glass of cold water from the woman, Hinata thanked her quickly and all but shoved the glass in front of his face. For the second time that evening, he allowed himself to drink from her hands. The water not only seemed to cool his tongue but it also brought him to a much more sober state. Pfft, and he was worried about showing up at the Hyuuga compound with a drunken Hinata. Just think if a drunk walked her home, then he'd definitely be in for it. Though he suspected the punishment would involve a lot of rope, chains and perhaps a kunai or two.

Biting her already red lip, the girl asked softly, "Are you…okay?"

"Better," he muttered, drinking more of the cold water before clearing his throat and looking at her for a long time. Her pale gaze blinked at him innocently and he would have smiled wryly at how things seemed to conspire around them this evening. "Hinata," he said finally, "it's time we took you home."

She stopped and looked at him before her gaze melted and she nodded in agreement. "Y-you must be t-tired t-too."

Actually he found he was rather fatigued but she didn't need to know that. He left more change by the money he'd previously put down and Hinata paid for the rest and stood with him, walking out of the restaurant and onto the nearly empty streets of Konoha.

Sasuke's tongue still felt a little numb from just now but he ignored it and continued to walk with her to the Hyuuga residence. As seen previously, chivalry wasn't exactly his forte but supposing something happened to her and he was the last person seen with her? That would automatically make him a suspect and in conjunction with his prior record, that would bode too well for him when trying to convince the authorities – aka his fellow nin – that he had nothing to do with it. Yes, walking her home would be the best option.

As they walked, he was vaguely aware of the girl's small steps a little behind him and forcefully dampening the annoyance he felt, he grabbed her wrist from behind and pulled her to his side. "We don't live in ancient times, women are allowed to walk alongside men."

She made a small sound as he jerked her forward but nodded quickly and pulled her hand out of his grasp and joined her hands together in front of her. Silently hoping that there was no one around watching them, he inched closer to the girl to her obliviousness and stuck his hands in his pockets, leaning back slightly and rolling his neck from side to side. It always helped him relax after drinking. A cool breeze swept past them and with it, brought a very sweet, flowery scent. Dark brows knotted together slightly and he turned minutely towards her and when the next breeze passed them, it confirmed that the smell was from her.

He could smell the chocolate off her and also a mixture of that flowery scent she was wearing. All in all it was an interesting combination. In the back of his mind he thought it was quite nice. It was calming and soothing and made him feel very nostalgic. It reminded him of something a long time ago.

Images seemed to spring up randomly in his mind. A wooden training house. Birds. A lake surrounded by snow. A warm, summer night. The katana he used to keep on his back. Images with no time or place and yet memories nonetheless. And then the most recent one; sitting and eating ice cream with the girl walking next to him.

He walked her up until they could see the gates of her residence. They both stopped and just looked at it for a while, neither saying anything until the boy told her lazily,

"I'll wait until you walk in."

Not looking at him, with a wistful look on her face, she nodded slowly.

"Next time bring a different flavour, I'm not too fond of chocolate."

That caught her attention and Hinata looked at him with big eyes. "Next time?"

He nodded. "And I'll buy you peach sake instead of the straight stuff. It'll be more to your liking I think." He still didn't look at her.

Wanting so much to snicker at the reaction he caught from the corner of his eye – blinking and the struggle to find something to say – he cleared his throat and looked up at the sky.

"And we'll also see about going somewhere else. I think Hana is a better place for tea and sake."

"H-Hana?"

Again, just a nod. "Tomorrow same time then? I'm sure you know where it is."

The girl confirmed but opened her mouth to speak. "B-but wh-,"

Oh this was hilarious.

He turned to leave, finally allowing the smirk on his face to appear. "Perfect, see you then." He raised his hand in goodbye while walking away. Excellent, now he actually had plans. She'd show up definitely; it was in her nature anyway. He could just see the stunned look on her face, her cheeks burning crimson and her lavender eyes wide and shining. With that, he left a thoroughly confused, flustered, blinking and slightly excited Hinata to walk through the gates to her home, a small smile itching to make its way onto her lips.

'_Take that boredom!'_

* * *

A/N: Wow…this has got to be the longest oneshot I've ever written. NINE PAGES ON WORD! Eep! Well, I had fun writing this and I hope you had fun reading this. I can't seem to get over my SasuHina obsession and I've got a whole bunch of stories planned already. Ugh! Damn you plot bunnies!! Well, please review and tell me what you think! This was originally meant as only a oneshot but I thought about making it into a short story if you readers think so! :D So yeah! PLEASE review! And happy reading! And no flames!

Peace out!  
Rex


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Due to popular demand, I've decided to add a second chapter. MAYBE a third if you beg enough ;)

Ice Cream And Sake

The young Uchiha leaned casually against the wall of Hana, watching with mild interest as Hinata made her way into the restaurant and took a table near the back. Her short, dark hair glinted in the warm light of the paper lanterns and in her hand, was a small bag; undoubtedly containing the ice cream he'd asked her to bring the day before. She was a few minutes early and looked in slightly better spirits than last night.

A ripple of thought went through him as he hid in the shadows outside the restaurant, watching her through the wooden blinds. Perhaps he'd let her wait a little longer. Knowing her, she probably had doubts about him coming and he was very interested to see how she would handle the situation.

The restaurant was built so that on all four sides, there were large, open windows and doorways, covered only by the wooden blinds that were used to keep the heat or rain out. The blinds to the doors were pulled up and it just so happened that there was one next to where she sat. With deft feet, he walked around the side of the restaurant until he stood near her table, looking in through the shadow of the doorway.

A tub of ice cream, almost identical to the one yesterday was in front of her as well as two wooden spoons, one being twiddled with in her hands. Sasuke could make out the uncertainty on her face, almost as if she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

He continued watching her for a few more minutes, noticing the way her eyes kept darting to the main entrance, before lowering down as if she was guilty. The tinge of redness never left her cheeks and he paid extra close attention when a young waiter came up to her, all grins and winks.

He smiled at her and served a cup of tea. "Waiting for someone?" he asked.

Redness rose up her neck to her cheeks and Hinata quickly looked down and nodded, not meeting his gaze. The waiter made a small sound of recognition and put down an extra cup, and then walked off after winking and telling her good naturedly,

"I hope he shows."

Sasuke snorted from his hiding spot. _No you don't, but I'll let that one slide._ It then struck him just how stupid he must seem, hiding out here and spying on the girl he was supposed to be meeting. What sort of idiot did that? Mulling over with how that sounded, dark eyes rolled and his own implications of being an idiot. _Smooth, real smooth._

But he had a quick answer to the question of why he was spying and not meeting up with her; he was bored yet again. He knew last night that he was only using the Hyuuga girl for his own entertainment but seriously, could anyone really blame him? Boredom sucked. Big time.

But then so did standing out here in the cold night air. However, the need to see how Hinata would react to his lateness intrigued him. She had obviously doubted he'd come but now he would get to see first hand just how she felt about it if he didn't. A small, fleeting feeling of guilt crossed his mind but it was gone when he watched her lift the cup of tea to her lips a little too quickly – possibly to counteract boredom herself – and flinched, burning her lips and placing the cup down again.

She sighed and looked around, that look of deflation appearing in her eyes yet again, just as strong as last night. That fleeting feeling of guilt came back…only it wasn't so fleeting this time. What the heck was this? He wasn't supposed to be feeling guilt! This was supposed to be _fun_. Fun and _exciting_. He sighed and continued to watch as her fingers traced patterns onto the tabletop. Without realising it, Sasuke swore under his breath, cursing if she was thinking about his stupid idiot for a best friend.

What the hell was so wonderful about him anyway? Well, other than the fact that he was blond…and blue eyed…and the sun to his moon. Wait…where did all that poetry come from? Groaning in frustration, the dark haired boy banged his head against the wall. If he could come up with poetry at a time like this, he really had no life.

'_No'_,he thought with conviction. '_I shall prevail.'_

But there was a part of his mind that told him he was a lost cause. And to some extent, he thoroughly agreed.

'_Damn.'_

Looking up again, he visibly groaned and his expression melted to that of oh-shit-I-feel-like-an-ass. The girl had pulled out the big guns this time; tissues. From where she sat, the light reflected off the trail of tears that ran down her cheek and he felt sorry for her – unintentionally – all over again. Enter Sasuke, world-class jerk and maker-of-crying-women-who-he-ditches-but-doesn't-really.

Her fingers were already getting to work on opening the lid of the carton and her wooden spoon was at the ready. The girl was just about to lift a trembling spoonful up to her lips when he spoke.

"You _are_ planning on sharing, aren't you?"

By the time she had looked up, red eyes as wide as they could in all their swollen glory, he was already seated opposite her, one elbow propped up and his hand fisted with his temple resting idly on it. He almost wanted to laugh at the look of surprise and something that seemed akin to admiration that appeared in her eyes.

"U-Uchiha-kun," she managed, catching herself in time, "y-you came."

His smooth reply was instant. "And you thought I'd ditch you. I'm hurt, Hyuuga Hinata."

She blushed and her eyes flashed with guilt. Whoops. Note to self: always make it seem as if the blame is on her; it's funny. With a considering look, he tilted his head forward and said evenly, "Kidding."

Lavender eyes looked up then and relief washed through them. She was so much like a child. No wonder he picked her as his object of entertainment. He averted his eyes to the spoon still mid-air in her hand. "I don't suppose you're going to eat that."

Blinking in surprise, Hinata finally realised that she was still holding the spoon and quickly put it into her mouth before a drop, that was threatening to spill, could fall onto the table. She cringed at the cold and then dropped the spoon into the carton before lifting the hot cup of tea to her lips. It reminded him of the way she had fed him her own tea the night before. Mildly bemused at her actions, Sasuke sat up and raised his hand, calling the waiter over.

Oh good, it's that smart-talker. Without looking at him, the boy ordered in a lazy tone, "Peach sake, two cups." He ignored the offended gaze he felt in the back of his neck and cut the girl off before she had the chance to thank him. "This time, you're drinking with me."

A look of utter confusion overcame her face then. "B-but I drank w-with you l-last n-night."

"No you didn't. I drank and then you drank and then I drank some more. We did it consecutively," he stated simply, making room when the waiter returned with the sake bottle and the two cups, glaring daggers at him all the while. The boy didn't bother thanking the man and just continued to look at the girl in front of him. She looked caught between confusion and laughter as her eyes blinked rapidly at him for a few moments before she spoke.

"So you want to do it…simultaneously?" she ventured, squinting her eyes slightly, in thought.

He thought about it and then nodded. "That _is_ the nearest antonym."

He didn't know what exactly it was that made that strange warmth bubble in his chest. It felt like when you had a spoonful of honey or cough syrup. But he couldn't stop the feeling as he watched the unearthly pleased and happy look on her face. It was…endearing he realised. He nearly doubled over when he felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and busied himself with pouring the warm sake for the both of them to try and ease that feeling.

It smelled sweet and "peachy" just the way he liked it but even if it was flavoured, it was still sake and probably nothing she was much used to. Still, if she acted anything like she did last night, he was sure more of the contents of his cup would be either sprayed all over the table – should he give himself up to laughter – or he'd die choking on it. Either way, it was better than sitting at home sharpening his kunai.

The boy pushed the cup over her cup and raised a brow when she just stared at him blankly. Her eyes lit up in recognition and she picked the cup up, eyeing the clear liquid cautiously and swirling it around before looking up at him silently, a hesitant look in her eyes. Sasuke made a small, considering motion, raised his cup slightly, waiting for her to do the same.

"Cheers," was all he said, before raising the cup to his lips, watching her carefully all the while. The girl lifted the cup to her lips and took a small taste, the displeasure she experienced clearly witnessed on her face by the grimace her lips curled into and the awkward way she looked at him.

"It's…better t-than yesterdays'?" she ventured, offering a shaky smile as she put the cup down.

'_Obviously it's not but you'll drink it anyway, that stuff's not cheap,'_ he wanted to say but settled for a curt nod and finished off his cup, pouring himself another. "It's not that bad. Try it again. Like how we did it yesterday."

'_Yes, yesterday when you had one cup and then burst into tears on me. Please don't do that again.'_

She shot him a sceptical look, confirming that she too was on the same train of thought as he but Hinata nodded and then swirled her cup once more before placing it down gently in front of her. Her fingers then went to work on the strawberry ice cream, which, luckily enough, was still fairly frozen.

"I brought an e-extra spoon…i-if you want some…" Her voice was soft if not slightly hopeful and she showed him the two wooden spoons she'd brought. "Y-you said you wanted a d-different flavour s-so I…it's strawberry…uhm…"

One dark brow twitched slightly at her stuttering. It was getting better, much better in comparison to yesterday but it needed a lot of work in his opinion. Without waiting for her to offer him the spoon, he leaned over casually and plucked it out of her hand, pulling the white and pink coloured ice cream – and to his delight with bits of real strawberry – and scooped out a large spoonful, being mindful not to take too much and suffer another brain freeze.

He didn't fail to notice Hinata's apprehensive lavender gaze on him as he put the spoon in his mouth. When he caught her staring, with a quirk of his brow, she blushed and looked down at the table with feigned interest. Well, she didn't need to be _that_ worried about whether he liked it or not. He had to admit that it tasted pretty damn good considering it was sweet.

To affirm, he said calmly, "It's good."

Looking up with bright eyes, she beamed demurely, "I'm glad you like it."

Holy crap, did she have to work at being so endearing? Sasuke mentally smacked himself and continued to eat the ice cream, nearly choking when Hinata took his advice and downed the entire contents of her cup in one go. He paused, mid-chew, and watched her, blankly. Putting the glass down swiftly, with a sigh of relief and a red face, she blinked a few times, stunned.

"Hm," was all she said.

Sasuke raised a brow. "Hm?"

"I-it does taste better than yesterday's."

The boy snorted and took another spoonful. Figures she'd like the sweeter stuff. Then again, he wasn't one to talk considering the fact that he was actually eating ice cream, by _her_ recommendation at that. His thoughts once again went to his best friend, wondering what exactly it was that made him dump Hinata. Well, from the start, he'd always thought it wasn't exactly a very good combination. The girl had idolised him – Sasuke had no idea why – for years and he didn't actually think there was anything more to her feelings other than that.

Even now, he suspected that she was suffering less of heartbreak and more of worry about not being able to stay friends with the person she looked up to. Again, he had to wonder what the heck she was looking up to anyway. He was an idiot with whiskers for crying out loud! Okay, so maybe he did have some funky fox demon and it _did_ kind of give him more of a bad-boy image…but other than that there wasn't anything that exciting.

At this point, Sasuke knew he was pulling at straws, trying to find as many flaws in Naruto as possible. Unfortunately, even he had to admit that the dobe was blessed with many a talent and a lot of qualities, which seemed to draw people to him more recently than they used to. Groaning in defeat, the boy poured more sake down his throat, sulking and glaring at the innocent piece of ceramic.

Noticing that her cup of tea was still steaming, unlike his, the boy reached over and downed her hot tea, the ice cream earlier making the heat much more bearable. Hinata gaped and opened her mouth to say something but closed it abruptly at the look on his face. She frowned and sat back down, concerned.

"Ano…is something….wrong Uchiha…kun?" she asked, spooning some ice cream out of the carton which he'd put between them.

Having being glowering at the cup in his hands, he looked up and met shocked orbs and allowed his expression to soften slightly. With an exaggerated sigh, he propped his elbow up again and rested his head on it, pouring more sake for the both of them with his free hand.

"I have an inferiority complex towards Naruto." The words left his mouth before he could stop them. Damn. He knew the sake was going to backstab him! Oh how cruel thou art.

Hinata blinked. Once, twice, three times. And then her lips twitched, itching to smile but it seemed she was managing fairly well to keep it under control. This only annoyed Sasuke even more. Great; he let his tongue slip and now he was going to get teased or be the object of internal teasing considering it was Hinata. _Perfect_.

'_If you laugh, I'll finish that ice cream and I won't let you have any!'_

"Everyone does."

'_That's it! No ice cream for you!...Wait…what?'_

Confused, he looked at her. "What?" he voiced his thoughts.

She smiled shyly then, averting her eyes to the side and scratching her head nervously. "Uh…w-well that is to say…most p-people d-do b-because h-h-he tries so hard. He makes p-people hopeful and optimistic. A-and h-he's accomplished so much when no one thought he could. S-so…I suppose people find it…intimidating?"

He listened carefully to what she was saying, only bothering to filter half of it through. But the parts that he did get, he understood completely. She was right. And it made him lighten up a little knowing that he wasn't the only one who felt that way, even if he felt it more so than most. The thing he liked most about it all though, was that Naruto didn't even realise. Excellent, so he'd never know.

But he could see that the subject of the blond idiot had dampened the mood after she'd stopped talking. He watched the smile slowly slip from her lips until what was left seemed forced. Cursing again, he lifted his cup up. When she looked at him, it took her a moment before understanding and doing the same, though still a little bewildered at the notion.

He thought for a second before nodding. "To Dobe," he said gravely. "May he never realise that people actually like him."

That actually cracked a reluctant yet humoured grin from the girl who fought back a giggle and raised the cup to her lips, _simultaneously_, as he would have it. She squeezed her eyes shut as she gulped it down and banged the cup down just a little too loudly.

He almost smirked. _'Perhaps I underestimated you, my young kunoichi. I do believe that with more training, you will be able to hold your own quite finely.'_ He cheered internally at his brilliant teachings and ordered another jug and to his surprise, she didn't say a word and simply offered a small 'thank you' to the still sulking waiter when he came by.

"So," he began, spooning out more ice cream, "why strawberry?" He tilted the carton towards her, allowing her to take her own spoonful. This was surprisingly _not_ accompanied by unstoppable blushing but rather by a short shrug.

"I-it j-just seemed th-the next likely choice…I sup-suppose." She tapped the spoon to her lips as she allowed the ice cream to melt in her mouth and stared at a corner in the ceiling. "Perhaps next time I'll try raspberry…" she said softly and it took Sasuke a moment to realise that she wasn't talking to him, but to herself. Well this was interesting. He wanted to laugh but as usual, refrained from doing so. She certainly was a funny one. And this was a chance he couldn't let slip.

"Are you asking me out?" he asked suddenly, breaking her out of her stupor. His expression was dry, but there was a little mischievous twinkle in his eye that betrayed his true intentions. Unfortunately for Hinata, she hardly noticed for having blushed so hard, he swore he could see steam coming out of her ears.

She squeaked and fisted her fingers at her lip, looking at him wide-eyed. "N-no I was just…uh…I-I m-mean…th-that's not t-to s-say I w-wouldn't b-but…I oh," she stumbled helplessly, tears of embarrassment coming into her eyes as Sasuke struggled his hardest to keep himself in check.

"So you're not asking me out?" he asked again, curtly.

"No! B-but I d-don't mean…I m-mean if y-you wanted t-to…" again she stumbled over her words, not quite knowing what to say and he could tell he was making her feel guilty but couldn't for the life of him, stop. He looked forward to her reactions to his teasing and tonight only proved that she'd never fail to entertain him in that department. Her lavender eyes where everywhere but on him and he had to release a short chuckle.

He lowered his gaze and cracked a small smile, ceasing her incessant fussing. "Either way, I accept."

She froze and simply stared as he poured himself some sake and drank, looking at her as he did so. "If you don't believe me, come back here tomorrow night, same time," he commented wryly only to have her jump in her seat and make a sound that was strangely halfway between a squeak and a laugh. The awkward smile she gave him related that she was quite pleased. Perhaps she liked meeting him as much as he did? Well, he certainly didn't mind. He couldn't help but grow quite fond of her and her silliness and awkwardness.

'_Ugh, I'm growing soft. Somebody stop me. Well, at least the ice cream's free.'_

"O-okay."

He looked up.

"What?"

She bit her lip.

"Okay, I-I'll b-be here tomorrow n-night…if y-you were s-serious," she added, flushed.

He snorted. "I was serious, I didn't expect you to agree though."

The dark haired girl shrugged again and admitted with a small smile, "I d-don't have a-anything on…so…"

"Hn, me neither."

They scooped up ice cream at the same time then, and he caught the surprised and shy smile on her lips when they did so.

'_Hm…strawberry ice cream is really good…please be kinder than that damned sake and NOT conspire against me.'_

They continued sharing the dessert and drinking their sake until the second bottle was finished. Sasuke had to admit that while he was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol, he was a little worried that Hinata seemed to be turning redder by the moment as well as swaying dangerously from side to side with a sloppy smile on her face.

He cleared his throat and commented wryly, "Perhaps you've had enough?"

She nodded distractedly and raised the cup to her lips again. "Mm…I think so too…" she hiccoughed and swallowed the drink again. Sasuke raised his brow in amusement and fought against the tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Right…Maybe I should take you home."

'_Before your cousin comes after me with an axe?'_

She looked up then. "B-but we haven't f-fin-finished the ice…cream…" she said innocently, wide eyed.

'_Curse you bubblegum innocence!'_

He sighed and nodded. "Alright, we'll finish the ice cream. And then I'm taking you home." The heavy note of authority in his tone wasn't missed by either of them.

"M-maybe I sh-should order tea first." He looked up, a disbelieving frown on his forehead and was about to say 'hell no!' when she interrupted him with a dangerously sweet voice, "I d-don't think m-my father…or Neji-niisan f-for that matter w-would like me coming h-home l-like…like this." Lavender eyes met his then and he wanted to strangle her and applaud her at the same time. She had _that_ twinkle in her eyes.

'_Holy shit. She's…bribing me…Damn, she's good.'_

He had a twitch in his left eye and gave her a half smirk. "Not bad."

But the girl simply cocked her head to the side, feigning unawares about what had just transpired, before smiling brightly and bringing the ice cream to her mouth again. Hell, she was probably saving his own skin because he definitely didn't want to bring her home tipsy and then have her tell everyone that it was _he_ who fed her sake.

'_Thanks, I suppose,'_ were the words he should have said but couldn't deplete his pride low enough to allow it to happen. He was, after all, an Uchiha. Not to mention a _Sasuke_. Well at least they weren't on the topic of a certain blond ex anymore, even when he wasn't here, the Kyuubi vessel still managed to tire him out. When their tea arrived, the entire contents of the ice cream had been emptied thanks to the both of them. The boy could already feel the sugar and alcohol working through his body but today he was ready. Without a second thought, he quickly brought his fresh cup of tea to his lips and gulped it down in one go.

Lavender eyes went wide and it seemed that Hinata was a lot more sober. "Uchiha-kun!" she cried as she took in the pained grimace at the heat surging down his throat.

Okay, perhaps he wasn't _that_ ready. He gladly accepted the cold glass of water that she fed him, for the second time that week, and sighed in relief at the clarity in her eyes.

_'Shit, that stuff is hot!'_

After regaining composure, he dug in his pocket and threw a small packet at her. "Here, clean your breath." He only slightly regretted his words as a crimson blush came surging up her face and she covered her mouth with her hands and proceeded to try and sniff her own breath. "I meant to mask what you've been drinking," he added pointedly.

Realisation dawned on her then and she released a soft giggle and proceeded to open and eat the minty gum he handed her. She seemed a lot calmer now, Sasuke noticed, with a small content smile on her face as she gazed modestly into her lap.

"Ah…Uchiha-kun?" she squeaked.

He stared boredly at the wall. "Sasuke's fine."

It took her a moment to say it though. "S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Dark eyes met pale orbs then, interested. "For?"

She looked for the right words, tapping her finger to her chin in thought before settling for, "For n-not…_ditching_ me." Using his earlier choice of words, the boy couldn't help but let out a small, short, breath of laughter, revelling in the wide-eyed look of rosiness he received.

He held up his cup of tea.

"Tomorrow night, _dinner's_ on me."

They clinked their glasses.

* * *

A/N: Well, I didn't expect so many people to like this, so I just had to post a second chapter! Thank you reviewers! You're all wonderful people! :D If you'd like me to add a third and final chapter, PLEASE review and tell me what you think :) I know there hasn't been much "action" if you know what I mean but there are hints and traces of it and I don't really want them to suddenly fall in love and all that because that's just lame and silly and…just doesn't sound right. So yes! PLEASE REVIEW and NO FLAMES! Flames are a waste of my time and yours so all you flamers go flame somebody else! I mean seriously, if you don't like SasuHina then why the hell are you reading it?? ANYWAYS, yes I love reviews so keep them coming! All who reviewed or faved this story gets a GREAT BIG STICKY cookie!

Peace out!  
Rex


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay, this is the final instalment for Ice Cream And Sake :) I'm so glad a lot of people liked this, it really made me happy to read all your reviews! So please continue reviewing, especially this last chapter because I want to write a full length story as a sequel to this in a week or so and it will contain a little Sakura and Neji as a side pairing. Hehehe, the summary is at the bottom if you're interested! Please let me know!

Now! On with the story! (It's hella long just so you know)

Ice Cream And Sake

"Will you please calm down, I'm not doing to burn you," Sasuke commented blandly as he skilfully flipped a piece of meat in the air and allowed it to land back on the grill in front of them.

Hinata looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. I-it's just that you're flipping them too close to yourself. Y-you could splatter th-the oil."

He frowned, affronted. "I have more skill than _that_."

"Oh I know! O-of course y-you do! I-it's just that…I…I mean…" Raising a brow and feeling immensely insulted, he left her to her struggling and continued to cook the food. The Korean Barbeque had been his idea and he had all but dragged her here when he saw her round the corner from the road to her home. He waited silently and patiently by another house, leaning against the wall with one leg propped up and upon seeing her, virtually yanked her unsuspecting self by her sleeve and grumbled all the way to the restaurant under his breath.

His day hadn't been particularly good considering he had had to avoid Naruto, Sakura and Sai who wanted him to join them for dinner at Ichiraku's. Politely refusing – which surprisingly hadn't happened much these days – the three had immediately got onto his case, begging him – on Naruto's part anyway – and trying to force the truth as to why out of him. Of course he had managed to evade them long enough but when Sai had jokingly suggested – if Sai _could_ joke – that they stalk him and find out where he was going, he had suddenly felt a strong surge of paranoia.

'_Those bastards had better keep to their original plans or I'll rip their throats out!'_

When his companion had asked, bewildered at his state, why they were rushing, he had merely shot her his best 'don't-ask-or-I'll-kill-you' look which efficiently resulted in her closing her mouth in both fear and compliance. It was for her own good as well of course. Hell, if she found out that Naruto was curious as to his whereabouts, she'd probably have refused to come.

'_Ha! You wish! I'll strap you to your seat if you try!...After I get the straps…Maybe the noodle dough will be strong enough…'_

Mumbling a few ideas to keep her here with him under his breath, just in case, he gave the meat a final toss before splitting the share between them, and landing a few slices onto both their plates. Hinata said a short "thank you" before smiling and raising her hand to order them tea and after catching the resigned and drawn look on his face, shot him a sympathetic look and added a bottle of sake to the list. The Uchiha looked up after she had made her order, mild surprise behind his onyx orbs.

She answered the unasked question with consideration, not stuttering, which pleased him somewhat. "You look like you need it." He merely nodded – a sign which he assumed she knew to be of appreciation. He noted the blush on her cheeks when she asked rather awkwardly, "Uhm…has it been a long day…or something?"

Their drinks chose to arrive at that time and they took their cups of tea, leaving the sake untouched in the meantime and Sasuke had to say he was quite astonished to find that the girl had taken on his habit of not even acknowledging the waitress, her soft, concerned gaze directed solely at him. Despite himself, he had to ask as he lifted the cup to his lips.

"Why do you ask?"

Tightening her fingers around the cup, the Hyuuga fidgeted and looked at the table, "You seem on edge…and…well you've been listening to me these past few days and I've hardly returned the favour…so…"

'_Having someone to talk to who won't try to dominate every single conversation is thanks enough. Ugh…I wish she brought ice cream. I would have asked her to bring the banana one…with the walnuts…what was it called again?'_

"Uchiha-kun?"

'_Crunchy…crunchy what…? I think it was an animal…Oh that's right! Chouji was talking about his favourite flavours! Damn…where's the bottomless pit when you need him?'_

"Are you…alright?"

_Hm…crunch- wait! No! Chunky! That's it! Chunky…chunky…what the hell rhymes with chunky?_

"…Sasuke-san?" she tried this time, nervous as she spoke his name through her lips.

'_Hm…donkey? Chunky Donkey…? What the! That sounds nasty. Chunky Ass…Ha! Wait…no…'_

"Sasuke-san…you've been staring at the food for the longest time. A-are you okay?"

'_Ah ha! I've got it! Chunky Monkey! They don't call me a genius for nothing! Take that you chunky ass!'_

Sasuke smirked internally, doing flips and pounding his fists in the air victoriously in his mind's eye and it wasn't until he noticed the tense silence that he blinked and stared into the slightly unnerved lavender eyes of his companion. Was she actually speaking through his mental monologue? Whoops.

"Come again?" he asked casually as if he hadn't been staring intently at his food with narrow, conquest-filled Sharingan orbs. He could tell Hinata was deeply anxious by his temperamental state.

She began with a squeak. "Uhm…are you sure you're al-alright? B-because if you're feeling ill…w-we could leave…"

"Out of the question," he cut in smoothly, raising a piece of beef into his mouth and chewing it, satisfied and content at the flavour. It had been while since he had had a decent meal. Those past few evenings of ice cream could most definitely _not_ be considered healthy. Especially since he always ended up drinking too much sake and he was pretty sure the mixture was dangerous judging by his occasional lapses in judgement and self-containment.

Thank the heavens that this young Hyuuga – okay so she was a few months older than him but she hardly acted like it – wasn't the type to go blabbing to everyone that she had seen Sasuke lose his mind in front of her because of ice cream and sake. Hell, Naruto would be on his case in a second, worried out of his blond little mind and probably ready to perform a lobotomy even though the idiot had absolutely no idea what it involved in the first place.

'_Maybe I'll be the first to survive open-head surgery performed by a ditzy blond boy with whiskers…It shall be named the "Survival of Uchiha Sasuke With No Thanks to Uzumaki Naruto Day." …it should be a holiday too…'_

Noticing that his mind was running away with him again, he cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea. "I'm quite fine, Hinata. Stop worrying and just eat your food before it get's cold."

She blinked and nodded slowly, "R-right…" before eating her already half eaten plate. He almost didn't notice that she had been eating all the while that he'd been talking to himself. Holy crap! Was he really silent for that long? Hm…perhaps he'd take Naruto's yet to be offered offer of a lobotomy after all.

Sighing, he realised just how callous he was being. And he really didn't want a continuation from the first night so, directly staring at her, he droned, "I apologise."

The surprise showed clearly on her face and she turned defensive. "Everyone has their off days. It's completely fine."

He almost smirked. She hadn't stuttered much this evening at all and he was beginning to – albeit slowly – understand what she was saying without having to replay it in his mind. He felt almost content that she was feeling more and more at ease around him. Although having never talked to this girl in his life, he was sure that if their friends were to find out, it would spark not only surprise but perhaps over-protectiveness on her part. And he wasn't sure how a certain blond boy would take it. He may fight with the guy to kingdom come but when it came down to it, he was still his best friend and he couldn't put the boy in such limbo.

"Hinata," he called, in a stoic voice, his expression slightly curious and considering as he regarded the girl in front of him. Now would be as good a time as any to ask the question. After all, it would be extremely troublesome if her family was starting to become suspicious of her nightly escapades. He vaguely wondered if they were watching them this very moment. And in all honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if they were. The Hyuugas were notorious for their spy work.

Suppressing a shudder and his eyes secretively observing his surroundings, he turned to the girl expectantly. She tilted her head to the side and considered him somewhat.

"Yes?"

He paused for emphasis before continuing. "Does your family know you're out with me?"

Lavender orbs widened in fear as she gasped and shook her head furiously. "O-oh, no of course not," she exclaimed in a loud whisper. His lips quirked slightly at the corners. Only she would be capable of producing a loud whisper.

"What did you tell them?" he asked, lifting his sake up to his lips, most of his plate bare of food.

The dark haired girl bit her lip nervously and retreated to the back of her seat, turning away from him with a rosy blush on her tanned cheeks. She had pulled her hair up in a twist and even pinned her bangs up, not the usual style she'd been known to don. However he felt strangely pleased that she took the effort to look nice with him tonight. His mind when back to her ex and he thought to himself how he'd like a nice long chat with the guy about his choice in girlfriends…Of course he would probably have to torture it out of him but the more pain, the merrier!

He was so caught up in thought that he almost didn't catch her mumbling an answer under her breath, rather guiltily too. Raising the infamous Uchiha brow, he lifted his nose in the air and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Pardon me?"

Throwing him a desperate and uncomfortable look, Hinata finally relented, her fingers curling around the hem of her white t-shirt. He wanted to laugh at her discomfort but refrained from doing so after thoughts of Naruto and Sakura also being on his case plagued his mind.

After seconds of silence during which her expression pleadingly asked him to drop it – and he responded with a blank look and a smirk that even she could see behind his dark orbs – she sighed and said, defeated, "They think I'm with Ino-san and Sakura-san."

He blinked. "You lied to them?"

Fidgeting and turning away, she mumbled softly, "Only to Neji-niisan. My father…I d-don't think he knows…or cares…" she added, a hint of hope in a voice that was riddled with bitterness.

This time Sasuke shook his head, a small ghost of a smile playing his lips that could only be discerned by looking close enough. Even after three very interesting evenings with him, Hinata immediately saw it and, sensing his knowing gaze on her, blushed and turned away when he spoke.

"Of all people, I never expected you to lie to someone about me. I'm almost flattered." He lifted his glass up as a toast before sipping it, humour sparkling in his dark eyes as he regarded her – flustered and slightly dishevelled – over the rim of the cup. With a satisfied sigh, he set it down again and this time, shot her a disapproving frown. "However, being referred to as a couple of females is quite insulting to my manhood."

Staring at him for a few moments before bursting into soft, melodic laughter, Hinata nodded apologetically and sipped her sake slowly. A few minutes of comfortable silence later and one empty bottle of sake, Sasuke flatly demanded that their table be cleaned and the bill be brought as quickly as possible, while Hinata tried her hardest to stifle her giggles at his cutting personality.

The man came back with the bill and the young Uchiha pulled out his wallet and was about to pay before a thought suddenly struck him, causing him to pause and round on her swiftly. "I told you last night that dinner was one me."

She nodded, not really understanding since she didn't have her own wallet out. The boy cleared his throat and added, leaving no room for argument, "Yes well dessert is still on you."

'_Hell, like I can afford to pay for everything every single night! We should take turns. I'll do the even days of the week, she'll do the odd. That way…I only have to pay three times a week. Heh, she's loaded anyway.'_

Startled as he suddenly stood, Hinata stumbling after him out of the restaurant, she blurted out, "D-dessert?"

He snorted. "Did you think tonight was over? It's not even nine. We have plenty of time."

'_Plus, if I go home now, there's a chance Naruto and Sakura will be around…probably with rope and lots and lots rubber bands. Ouch…' _He mentally winced and rubbed his arm which was still recovering from last time.

The last time he had been interrogated by his teammates had been when he disappeared one evening to go grocery shopping – and been bribed into buying the latest release of Icha Icha Paradise for Kakashi – and when the two had found him outside the dodgy looking store, had tackled him and brought him back to Naruto's home and tortured him for half an hour straight…that time they had used staples…and that _really_ left a mark.

'_Hm. I suppose I could always ask Hinata to heal me…'_ But he froze mid-step at the spontaneous train of thought only to have the girl crash into him from behind. He stumbled forward, surprised and caught off guard and turned around to shoot her a glare only to stop at what he saw.

She stood there, eyes squinted as she rubbed her red nose, a small squeak emitted from her mouth. She stood a good foot below him and for those few awkward moments, his mind went black and he just looked down at her, a strange feeling, both foreign yet familiar, bubbled in his chest and made him hold his breath. Stygian eyes blinked and when she finally looked up at him, the apology that sprung from her lips wasn't heard by him and he simply turned away, still a little unsettled as he led her away from the restaurant.

'_What the hell was that?…I didn't even drink much sake…I bet it was that lousy waiter…' _ he thought with a scowl, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jeans and glaring at nothing in particular as they walked. He sensed the girl next to him tense and slowly move from his side to behind him but, rolling his eyes, he looked slightly over his shoulder and all but grabbed her arm, pulling her forward again, muttering in annoyance,

"I won't bite."

Not really knowing what to do with her hands, the dark haired girl awkwardly kept her mouth shut and placed her hands together in front of her, playing with the beads that were around her wrist. He watched her discomfort in boredom until they stopped outside a convenience store where he motioned with the tilt of his head, for her to enter without him.

"I'll wait here."

She stared at him, unsure and biting her lip. "What?" he demanded flatly. When she opened her mouth to answer, all that he was rewarded with was silence and had to refrain from groaning out loud. Seriously, was it so hard to walk into a store, ask for some ice cream and walk out again?

"F-flavour," she managed out finally.

'_Oh.'_

"Oh," he uttered curtly. He felt rather embarrassed at what he was about to ask her but knew he had to if he was going to be able to try the supposed "food from the heavens" according to Chouji. Figuring that choosing with her would be less mortifying than actually speaking, he went in with her to her obvious relief. They walked over to the freezer immediately and Sasuke, for the first time, was confronted with shelf after shelf and row after row of ice cream flavours. It was all he could do not to stare in dumb silence.

He looked at her then. "And this is what you're confronted with every time you buy a pint?" He was quite surprised. He didn't think most girls were that decisive. Well, Ino and Sakura surely weren't. He remembered once when all four teams had gone out for dinner and it had taken the girls a full forty-five minutes to choose their meal. He had hardly noticed Hinata at the time, him and Naruto having been in a rather cold argument with the two kunoichi's, trying to get them to hurry up. They had managed to barely avoid being whacked on the head by two very annoyed women.

She smiled a small smile, and looked up at him through the corner of her twinkling lavender eyes. "It's a lot easier if you already know what you _don't_ like."

"Hn." He stared at the fridge again. "Such as?"

"Orange sorbet," she said immediately, leaving Sasuke to throw her an amused glance. She countered it and told him truthfully, "Really, it's…quite horrible in m-my opinion."

He would have laughed let his personality allowed it but the boy simply stood there, arms folded, leaning back slightly, going through all the names and mentally grinned triumphantly when he found what he was looking for. "This one." He pointed.

Hinata followed his finger and leaned forward in surprise. "Oh. Th-this one _is_ good." She looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Have you had it b-before, S-Sasuke-san?"

He snorted at how she used his name, his lips twitching to break into a grin. "No, _Hinata-sama_." She blushed and stood back up as he opened the fridge and pulled the pint out, making sure to pick up two wooden spoons from the container stuck to the wall. "However, one should always try something new." He walked past her and casually dropped the carton into her hands before walking over to the drinks and running his eyes over the many flavoured bottles of sake.

"Take your pick."

Seeing what he was looking at, the girl tried to reason with him. "B-but we just had s-some."

He cocked his hip, not bothering to look back at her as she walked to his side. "And your point is?"

'_Seriously, just take a damn bottle, I've been waiting for my ice cream and sake fix all evening damn it!' _He tried not to growl at the time she took to ponder on whether she should pick one or not but finally settled for a bottle of plum flavoured sake. Grimacing at the bottle and looking to him for approval, Hinata sighed dejectedly and went to the counter to pay. He admired her restraint, he wondered if she'd ever break under his pressure. It would indeed be something interesting to see.

It was just as they left the store to go find a place to sit quietly when she spoke, her voice shy and almost scolding. "Uhm…I…I hope you won't be finishing this entire bottle…Sasuke-san…"

"Of course not." She relaxed only to gape when he said his next words. "That's why I have you. You didn't have much at dinner."

'_And besides, if I'm going down, I sure as hell am taking you with me. Looking like an idiot is one thing…looking like an idiot by yourself is an entirely different matter.'_

"B-but I don't want any-"

"Yes and you said that the last few times too. I didn't exactly see any restraint from _you_ Hinata," he drawled, sitting himself down on the grass near the training area. They sat under a tree, Hinata too lost in her own thoughts to really ask what time she'd be allowed to go home. But he didn't need his Sharingan to see that she appeared to be somewhat relieved that she wasn't going home. In fact the entire night she had not said one thing about where they were going or why. She had simply followed.

"Why don't you want to go home?" he asked finally, pulling the pint of delicious looking Chunky Monkey banana ice cream towards him and digging into it with his spoon.

Her gaze showed surprise and perhaps even nervousness at being found out. She fidgeted and picked at the grass at her knees. "I-I never said…"

Dark eyes rolled as he took a spoonful, his mind processing the taste. _'Not bad. Not bad at all. I'll have to remember this one.'_

Fixing her with a stare as he leaned back against the tree, he popped the lid of the sake open with one hand and took a swig before shoving it forcefully in front of her face. "Have a drink." His voice was almost dangerous. "And then tell me the truth. It's not like we have anything better to do." But then he added as an afterthought, "But this is strictly between us. I don't _do_ counselling on a regular basis."

'_And even if I did, I wouldn't want the whole damn village to know about it. Rotten bastards…'_

Reluctantly taking the bottle from him, he swore he heard her mutter something about being destroyed for marriage before lifting the bottle to her lips and taking a sip. What stunned him however was just how _long_ that sip was. Damn, maybe he really was becoming a bad influence on the innocent little Hyuuga girl. Strange images of a drunk Hinata as the Head of the Main Branch fluttered around his mind. He almost released a chuckle at the mental image. Maybe she'd do him a favour and stuff Neji's head down a toilet as her first decree. Hey, she did owe him for getting him to act like a box of tissues and sugar bunnies. He shuddered mentally at the thought, his lips curling downwards dryly.

Hinata put the bottle down and lowered her head to her knees which she had drawn up to her chest. "I…"

He waited patiently for her to continue.

"I l-like it," she spluttered.

'_Well, so much for articulate.'_

"Like what?"

"Being here," she forced, her cheeks turning a magnificent shade of red, even in the darkness of the evening, "with you." He nearly choked on a walnut. "You've been very kind to me these past few days. And…and I _enjoyed_ it…"

Well, he wasn't expecting _that_ although it did leave him with an odd sense of happiness. Maybe it was the way she said it, with her face all red and her voice diminishing with every syllable but he couldn't help himself when he released a breath of a laugh and handed her the carton of ice cream, resting his hand on top of her head endearingly. Lavender eyes sprung open at his actions and he could feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off her.

'…_I hate cute things…crap! Stop the fluff! Stop it I say!'_

He smacked himself mentally, thinking about how his friends would react to seeing him acting chummy with a girl he had never spoken to in his life. He could almost see the row of disgusting tonsils being shown off for the world to see. _'Hn, they'd be the ones needing sake after that. Heh, not if I finish off Konoha's supply before them! Let's see how you like that! Assholes!'_

When her small fingers finally took the freezing pint out of his hands – thankfully for him, his fingers were seriously starting to go numb – he relaxed back and closed his eyes, taking the bottle from her and taking a long drink, his hand still laying atop her head. His fingers actually took on the desire to touch her soft hair but he managed to prevent them…barely.

He couldn't help it this time though as he said slyly, "I'm glad you _enjoyed_ my company. Now pay up."

She jumped and turned to him, wide eyed. "P-pay…up…?"

He snorted. "Of course. You didn't think this came for free did you? I _did_ buy you dinner…and I paid for the sake yesterday and the day before…"

"I didn't want the sake in the first place," she mumbled wryly only to realise she had said it out loud, and therefore brought her hands up to her mouth. "I-I didn't mean-"

He blinked at her, a nerve twitching somewhere in his cheeks. As much as that should probably have been insulting, he couldn't help but be extremely amused that she would let something like that slip past her. Knowing her, he could only imagine the guilt leaking out of her at that moment that she sat there looking up at him with teary eyes. But, being unable to let himself revel in a few moments of internal laughter, he sobered and took another drink, asking her more out of necessity than actual interest.

"Why are you crying?"

Somehow, even that question sounded more like a blank statement coming from his lips. A part of him assaulted him at being so insensitive and needing to learn something about the versatile and mercurial feelings of women, especially this Hyuuga by his side.

'_Screw women and their overactive feelings!...Okay…not literally…Although…'_ He almost turned beet red at the images that drew themselves up in his mind at that point and nearly choked on the burning liquid in his mouth.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I just…" she spluttered, closing her eyes and wiping away the few drops that escaped.

'_Thank the stars for that diversion!'_

He sighed and patted her on the head, aware of how belittling the gesture was, but finding it adequate to the situation. To him, it was the same as ruffling someone's hair.

"Relax, you don't have to answer…even though I'm quite sure it's about Naruto but that's another story."

She jumped and gazed up at him. Bingo, he thought, pleased with himself and proceeded to probe her some more.

"I mean, I understand how important he was – and probably still is – to you, but if you're going to think about him when you're with _me_," he paused for emphasis and looked at her sullen face. Her lavender eyes were cast to her knees and she looked near helplessness. So he did the only thing he could that was appropriate for the time and place: he allowed a small smile to grace his lips and just a touch of warmth into his voice.

"Then I'll just sit here pretending I'm interested while you tell me all your problems."

Stunned, lavender eyes met dark, cheeky ones. "You mean…y-you're not upset?"

He shrugged and snorted. "No."

"B-but I thought-"

"Stop thinking," the boy barked in annoyance.

She shut her mouth and just stared at him.

The boy looked down at her, all seriousness and calm as was his usual tendency. He had shown her a fraction of his personality these past few days and although it disgusted him and how much he lost himself to drink, he couldn't help but be grateful that she was there to witness it. That added one more person to his list of people who didn't deserve to be blown up. So far, there were only four others, although that in itself was a little unstable, considering how little he knew of Sai and how many time he actually _did_ want to blow Sakura and Naruto _and_ his former sensei up.

But right now all he wanted was for her to stop thinking…like he had. That would probably be the best thing she could give him. He was glad to have Hinata there as a means to counteract his boredom and it had worked brilliantly. But for the love of the Hokage – or lack thereof – the girl needed to stop thinking and worrying! How was _anyone_ supposed to be calm when the person opposite you was like a bubbling pot, ready to scream and bubble with emotion every second of the day?

He fixed her with a hard stare.

"Seriously. Stop. Thinking." He took another drink and then added, in a tone that was almost as drawling as Kakashi's, "It's bad for your health."

'_Seriously, I won't be surprised if you die of a heart attack the next time someone asks you out. And hell if I'll be there to take you to the hospital!' _

He continued to drink his sake, occasionally switching with her for the ice cream and letting her mull over her thoughts in the uncomfortable and not so uncomfortable silence that followed his words. He was sure he might have gone a little too far with her this time, but in all honesty, he didn't like how he was always treading on bloody light bulbs every time they had a conversation. He should have the right to say what he thought!

'_Damn straight!'_

And he should be able to be honest with her when she was being over sensitive!

'_Totally!'_

_AND_ he didn't constantly have to feel bad about himself whenever he made her cry!

"_Exac- wait, actually…it's not that nice to make someone cry…crying is a disgusting process after all…I mean with the red nose and the puffy eyes and the eye excretion and NOSE excretion. Shit, it's damn gross!'_

"Sasuke-san?"

He looked up at the sky.

"Yes?"

Her fidgeting and silent berating could be heard by him through the silent night. He didn't mind, he had a feeling she had something quite epic on her mind, although what gave him that idea, he didn't really know.

"We should…do this again some time."

'_Holy crap, that really was epic!'_

Upon looking down at her, he was met with a very sublime smile that made him catch his breath for a moment.

Well damn, but Sasuke never thought he'd ever lose himself, even for a second, over a kunoichi such as Hinata. But here they were and in the moment, he couldn't agree with her more.

With a breath of a chuckle, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes contentedly, the empty carton beside him as he handed the last few sips of the sake to a smiling girl who, over the last couple of nights had really become a very interesting person to sit and idle around with.

"Keep in touch." He smirked and allowed a sidelong glance at her flustered and bothered face. "And we'll definitely do this again some time."

THE END….sort of

--

A/N: *SCREAMS* OKAY! I am finally done with this chapter! HOLY CRAP this was difficult to write and I know I sort of veered off the humour part of it all but I think that was necessary for the final chapter :D I hope you all like it! And I must of course give a BIG and HUMUNGOUS THANK YOU to all my readers and reviewers who made these last two chapters possible. I was seriously considering leaving it as a one-shot but I just couldn't after all of you asked me to continue! :D

And for those who want to get their ENTIRE story, I've got a new story planned which could very well be a sequel to this. And it'll be a little more fun than this and of course it'll contain all the other characters as well, so don't fret.

SUMMARY: Hinata has been sneaking out to meet a certain someone, Sasuke is trying to make sure her cousin doesn't come after them and now Sakura is willing to lend Neji her Tangerine Splash shampoo and tell him about Hinata if he'll date her. Oh crap…

WELL! If you're interested, drop me a wonderful REVIEW please and tell me what you think and if you have any ideas for this new story (as well as a title because I suck at thinking them up -_-) then please let me know in a review or in a PM :D

And just so you all know, I TAKE REQUESTS so check my profile for more info. Mostly crack pairings of course. Now REVIEW! AND NO FLAMES!!!

Peace out!

Rex


End file.
